African American Lives

the courts to bring justice. He believes one should demand political and economic justice from the government or an area in which they live. During the time King was alive, racial issues were huge to the point where segregation among Caucasians and African Americans were enforced. Along with segregation, many acts of violence were also inflicted upon African Americans –especially lynching. Such acts require people to stand up and end the immoral ways of the majority. King insists that instead of…

Throughout United States history, slavery, discriminatory laws, and overt institutional racism have forced African Americans to seek alternatives that would empower them to fulfill their highest potential. As a result, the Black Nationalist ideology emerged as a response to the economic exploitation and political abandonment endured by the people of African descent throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Though Black Nationalism developed in the United States it is not a unique…

The American Dream has always been a beacon of hope of being successful within living in the United States. Officially identified in the 1930’s, the American Dream has been viewed as the ideal life for every American. Even in tough times, many Americans still hold on to the Dream. Not only is the American Dream a desire to obtain, but is also a constitutional right. As the Founding Fathers have written in the Declaration of Independence (US 1776), “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that…

discrimination, African Americans struggled with their identity. Identity was a concern that many novels in African American literature discussed. Mainly, African Americans struggled within themselves to find out who they really were in these novels. They were passive and let others control their lives. They often have problems with figuring out who they want to be as well. In many of these novels in African American literature, an underlying theme is passivity. Others controlled their lives.…

affected the lives of many African Americans. Martin Luther King’s Philosophy made the most sense for America in the 1960’s. “Martin Luther King promoted three important things, the equal treatment of all races, non-violent protesting, and his true belief in the ability of all mankind to live together in peace”. Martin Luther King had a vision that they would live in a society where race was not an issue that impacted the way they were treated or in how they were allowed to live their lives.…

you following me for”. What do all these quotes have in common? They all had their lives taken based on the color of their skin. The editorial board of the New York Times is compiled of sixteen journalists with an extraordinary range of expertise. They published an article in 2015, “The Truth of Black Lives Matter”, In this article they adopt an informative and persuasive tone while discussing what the Black Lives Matter Movement is and Its relevance. There is a vast amount of controversy…

the late 1950's and early 1960's, prejudice and segregation for African Americans was rampant. The race as a whole struggled to be equal to all others in America. Throughout time, many poets have used their voice to depict the equality struggle. Such poems as “Incident” written by Countee Cullin in 1925 and “Fredrick Douglas” by Robert Hayden in 1946 bring to light the raw emotions and ideals of what it was like for African Americans during times of harsh prejudice and slavery segregation prior…

other African American writers spent their entire lives devoted to creating a better life for Afro-Americans living in the United States. Individuals like DuBois including Ida B. Wells, Booker T. Washington, Henry McNeal Turner, and Frances E.W. Harper gave speeches encouraging alternate solutions to the issue of racism that existed in America. Some suggested,…

The famous French aristocrat, Alexis De Tocqueville, describes the brutality of African American enslavement and exploitation in his work, Democracy in America: African Americans. He describes a time, when racial diversity was outlawed and white supremacy was at its peak. Martin Luther King Jr., a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, once stated “ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the…

Metaphors throughout Langston Hughes’ Poetry regarding the Neglect of African Americans in Society Langston Hughes once said “I was a victim of of a stereotype”. Him, along with many other African Americans during the 1920’s were the ones suffering due to discrimination. Langston Hughes implements extended metaphors throughout his poems “Lonesome Place”, “As I Grew Older” and “Park Bench” to portray the neglect against African Americans in society. The poems “Lonesome Place” and “As I Grew…